Blog Post #3

Assassin’s Creed is my all time favorite video game franchise, so for this research post I choose to look at concept art for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations by Martin DeschambaultAssassin’s Creed: Revelations is the third and final game about the story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Ezio began as a young man who witnessed his father’s and brother’s execution and goes on to be the leader of the Assassin Brotherhood. Specifically in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Ezio goes to 16th century Constantinople to search for the seals to the library full of vast knowledge hidden underneath Masyaf Castle by legendary Assassin Altaïr Ibn La’Ahad. Ezio searched for the seals while helping the local Assassin guild get rid of Byzantine Templar control. He succeeds only to enter the library where Ezio finds Altaïr’s skeleton and his Apple of Eden, but no books. He finds out that the entire purpose of the library was to convey a message to Ezio’s descendant, Desmond Miles.

Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
An Indoor Market in Constantinople by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Docks in Constantinople by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Constantinople Street by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Library Seals by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Ezio Auditore da Firenze in Constantinople by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Altaïr Ibn La’Ahad’s skeleton in his library by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Constantinople Skyline by Martin Deschambault
Assassin's Creed Revelations Concept Art by Martin Deschambault
Masyaf Castle by Martin Deschambault

Images via Concept Art World

Gestalt Phase 3

For this phase of pictures, I continued my focus on infrastructure but this time I took close ups. Each image is a part of a bigger setting. Some are taken in the same place, but you can’t tell by the picture since you can’t see the whole area. I wanted to do close ups because I like how they look and you can see more detail in the images.

Blog Post #2

Part 1

Time Tracker_

I watch way too much T.V. and should spend more time doing homework

Part 2

These images are screenshots of a small game I made last year. I have always loved video games, and when I decided that I wanted to make video games I wanted to try to do something myself. The game was simple, you just roll a ball around to try to pick up 12 yellow cubes. All of the programming for the game was written by in a tutorial, but I did all of the level design. I only made a couple levels and they were not hard, but to all of my friends it was incredibly difficult because they do not play video games. To anyone who plays games this would be a very easy game, but with my friends I had succeed in my goal of making a challenge.

Gestalt Phase 2

For this phase of pictures I focused on more accidental street art. I was taking care to look out for things that worked with Gestalt. I feel that the image that looks like a face is the best representation of what I wanted for these photos. I wanted pictures of things thatwere man made, and had a specific reason or function.

I wanted to stray away from street art because I want to focus on different kinds of art. Art is everywhere and can be seen in everything, so I wanted to change the focus and then change it again for the third round of pictures to maybe focus on people or the buildings.

Blog Post #1

Part 1

Questions

  1. What are the main points of each article?
  2. What can artists learn from their “entrepreneurial cousins”?
  3. Do you agree that artists are entrepreneurs? why?
  4. Which of the 12 characteristics of artists do you agree with?
  5. What others would you add to the list?
  6. Additional thoughts.

Answers

  1. Both articles compare the similarities between artist and entrepreneurs. Article 1 tells how artist behave and what entrepreneurs can learn from artists. Article 2 compares the beginning stages of both an artist’s and entrepreneur’s careers.
  2. Artists can learn to create a much needed support system and use the resources available to them to begin their career.
  3. I agree that artists are entrepreneurs because artists are essentially starting a new business venture by having an independent art career.
  4. I agree with all of the 12 characteristics to some extent, but I most agree with the fourth characteristic. I agree with “artists are children” because of the creativity children have and most tend to lose as they age, but artists somehow keep it.
  5. I would want to add that artists see the world in a different way. An artist may look at certain things and see the components that make up that point of view, while a not-artist won’t do that.
  6. I agree with how article 2 said, “the lines between artists and entrepreneurs continue to blur — and with more artists becoming entrepreneurs.” In today’s age, entrepreneurs need to be more creative and artists need to be able to do business.

Part 2

Questions

  1. Do you have grit, or is this something you need to work on?
  2. List a couple of things you could do to increase your level of grit.

Answers

  1. According to the survey, my grit score is 3.25, which is more than at least 40% of the population. In my own opinion, I do not think that I have much grit because I get distracted and will lose focus on a project, unless I am with other people then I may be one of the most focused people in the group. I definitely think grit is something that I could work on.
  2. To increase my level of grit, I could try to work on projects in small increments over a longer period of time. I could use a project I am highly motivated to do, and try to have a set time period to do it so that I do not continue to work for too many hours and get burnt out on the project.

Gestalt Phase 1

My pictures are centered around street art. Since moving to Austin I have discovered that art is everywhere, and you can find many different kinds of art walking on South Congress. I edited most of the pictures I took, and all of my favorite are ones that I did edit at least slightly. The level of editing varies a lot. Some pictures had colors be completely changed, others had colors brightened, and a couple weren’t edited at all.

I have always loved taking pictures of art, specifically street art. To me, street art is the most interesting kind of art. An artist is free to create whatever they want without any limitations. Street art can even provide a commentary on what is happening in the world. Many artists create their pieces to reflect their point of view in politics, movements, and more.

Introducing…

Creativity comes from something else. Tan said, “Out of Nothing Come Something,” but I disagree. I believe that any creative idea comes from something else. That something else could be an image you pass on the street, a phrase you heard, or drawing a doodle. An event happens to spark an idea, and all great ideas started somewhere. Many may draw on their life experiences as a whole to write stories, and some may use small parts of themselves to create an entirely new world.

Everything said by Lazzaro in the “Why We Play Games Study” is completely true. People play video games for a wide variety of reasons. Video games are like books or television; they can take you to different worlds. The study may have left out one more important key to why people play games. I believe that the creativity involved in games is a large aspect in why people play. There are many sandbox games, like Minecraft, in which players are able to shape the environment around them. These games provide little to no story, but can allow players to do whatever they want in a world that is completely their own. These games can provide a completely relaxing experience where the player can build, explore, and more. These types of games could fit under the altered states key, but I believe creativity would be a key of its own. Playing a game purely to unleash your creativity is very different from playing a game to clear your mind.